---
title: "Run Less Software"
description: "1 posts about Run Less Software, summarised, each linking to the original."
---

# Run Less Software
> 1 posts about Run Less Software, summarised, each linking to the original.

## Articles

### [Run less software - The Intercom Blog](https://yomu.fyi/post/run-less-software-the-intercom-blog.md)
- Company: [Intercom](https://yomu.fyi/company/intercom.md)
- Published: Oct 8, 2026
- Type: Explainer

To survive intense competition from copycats and dominant tech companies, software businesses must execute faster and more efficiently than their rivals. Run Less Software is a three-pillar philosophy that helps teams achieve this: choose standard, boring technologies to build deep expertise and reduce operational overhead; outsource undifferentiated heavy lifting like infrastructure to specialized third-party providers; and focus all engineering effort on creating enduring competitive advantage that directly serves customers. For example, Intercom consolidated from MongoDB and Postgres to AWS Aurora and DynamoDB, standardizing on MySQL and gaining 5x throughput at a 30% cost reduction with minimal custom code. By constraining the toolset, teams become expert operators who can make faster, cheaper decisions. The philosophy enables companies to manipulate time and stay ahead of competitors by systematically reducing the cost and risk of their engineering decisions.